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WRAP: Best Practices for Boosting

Plastic Film Recycling in Your

Community Shari Jackson,

Director, ACC Plastics Division

Plastic Bags & Film: NOT in my MRF!

“…become entangled in machines causing breakdowns…”

“…The facility regularly has to halt operations so employees can disassemble equipment and cut the plastic trash loose.”

“Discarded bags gum up the machinery at recycling plants, forcing workers to clear them by hand.”

Become a WRAP Champion!

Support Your

Sustainability Goals

Free Resources

Easy to Do

• Increase landfill waste diversion

• Deter unwanted film from MRFs

• Reduce needed waste

management resources

• Support local economy & jobs

• Help protect the environment

• Create community networks &

pride

Double film recycling by 2020

Establish best practices & engage

stakeholders

ACC’s Flexible Film Recycling Group: Goals & Mission

What FFRG does:

We Promote:

Importance of

recycling

We Remove:

Barriers to

film recovery

We Unlock:

Greater

Recycling

Opportunities

WRAP: FFRG’s Hallmark Initiative

FFRG Members

Importance of Film Recycling

Challenges & Opportunities

Today’s Presentation

WRAP Community Best Practices

How to Get Involved

Why Recycle Film?

Film Use Widespread & Growing

Alternatives

over

2x

energy

Alternatives

nearly

4x

GHG

emissions

Reduces Used

Resources

Efficient

Protects

Products

Economical

State of Film Recycling

U.S. Postconsumer Film Acquired for Recycling

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

(Millions of pounds)

2005 2006 2010 2009 2008 2007 2012 2013 2011

74%

Increase

Since

2005!

Challenges & Opportunities for Growth

MRF Challenges

Significant amount of film enters

MRFs annually: >300 million lbs.

Mostly improperly bagged

recyclables

Unwanted film in curbside bins =

huge costs, small % recyclable

Established Infrastructure & Widespread Access

More than 18,000 retail

locations nationwide

Over 70%

can recycle

plastic bags

and wraps

Film Collection Unique: Retail vs. Curbside

• Retail = quality

material

• Businesses generate

most film –

established bag

collection network

• At-store collection

critical for film

Strong Market Demand – Clean & Dry

Recyclable PE Film: More Valuable Than Alternatives

We Can and Must Do Better!

Film needs effective

end-of-life options!

Used in every

household & business

Recycling a huge

opportunity - billions

of lbs. to be

recovered

Momentum

• Making sense of recycling film

• Store Drop-Off Label – Huge

Potential

For information on what you can

recycle and locations, visit:

plasticfilmrecycling.org

Expanding & Positively Impacting Change

Education & Collaboration

…Keys to Success!

Challenges & Opportunities for Growth

82% of public didn’t know

plastic wraps could be

recycled

54% didn’t know plastic

bags and film generally

should NOT be in curbside

bins

State & Local Gov’t Outreach

Recyclers, APR

Retail Collection – 18,000 drop-off

locations

Public- Private

Partnerships

Brands, SPC – How2Recycle Label

APR DesignTM Guide for Plastics

Recyclability – PE Films

How WRAP Works

Right Tools Matter Available at: plasticfilmrecycling.org

Public-Private Partnerships

Public Awareness

Campaigns

Expanding film recycling

throughout the country with

education and outreach

campaigns and technical

assistance

Engagement

• State & Local Govts.

• Retailers

• Brands

• Recyclers

• Waste management

• Non-profits

• Identify

motivator

• Develop toolkit

• Demonstrate

progress

Outreach

Consumers/

General Public Businesses Campaigns,

events, allies

Develop/Spread Effective Messages

• Plastic film recyclable • Mostly retail, generally not curbside

• Signage, website, campaign collateral,

allies’ networks

Establishing Best Practices for Growth

Spotlighting:

• Milwaukee

• Outagamie County

• Dunn County

Becky Curtis

Recycling Assistant, Milwaukee Dept. of Public Works

Representative, Wisconsin Council on Recycling

WRAP & DNR Partnership

Goal: Increase supply of high quality film for recycling

Objectives:

• Raise awareness – consumers & businesses

• Make film recycling easy to do

• Get more recyclable film to manufacturers

Wisconsin DNR Role

State Council on Recycling

Provide Resources & Tools

Local Government Outreach

Film Recycling Advocate

• Consumers, business, community

recycling managers

• Gain recognition – become a

WRAP Champion!

WISCONSIN WRAP

• Public Awareness

Campaigns:

Return-to-Retail

• Educational Tools

• Engaging Key

Stakeholders

• Providing Metrics

Milwaukee WRAP

Public Outreach Tools

Municipal and hauler outreach essential

No curbside/return to retail messaging important (where

necessary)

Bigger impact from frequent/variety of communications

Demonstrating the practice enhances engagement

Reframe messaging to emphasize normal practice/effect

Best Practices/Lessons Learned

New Approach

• MRF/Retail

• Educational Pilot

Objective:

Test effectiveness of joint

outreach and tools in decreasing

film at MRFs while increasing at-

store collection

Outagamie County Campaign

Campaign Collateral

• Return-to-retail &

rural drop-offs

• Educational Tools

• Consolidation at

vocational centers

• Marketing Campaign

• Collection at

universities, hospitals

Dunn County WRAP

Local Grant

Community Foundation of Dunn County • $7,500 for “Previous Life” marketing campaign

Newest WRAP Program: Vancouver, WA

• Leveraging City/County multi-

year “Recycling Done Right”

Campaign

• WRAP Return-to-Retail

Campaign: Aug - Sept 2015

• Testing educational tools &

approaches to:

Keep film out of MRFs and

increase retail drop offs

• Best practices used to expand

program

Partnerships & Dialogues

• Global Ocean Commission and

International Sustainability Unit

• Plasticity

• World Ocean Summitt

• Our Ocean

• Retailers = 4

• State governments = 1

• Local govts/communities = 29

• MRFs = 2

New retail and government partners pending

Partners & Champions

Calling States & Municipalities to Join WRAP!

Become a WRAP Champion or Partner! • Join peers in educating residents on film recycling best

practices

• Champions use and share FFRG tools

Do This RIGHT NOW

Get Busy on Social Media

Tweet

Take plastic bags & other film

wraps back to store drop-off

bins. Find one nearby:

www.plasticfilmrecycling.org.

#irecycleplastics

How do you become a WRAP Champion?

It’s easy! • Sign up as a WRAP Champion/Partner in Re-

TRAC Connect

• Share WRAP tools with your community

• Add retail locations to PFR.org Film Drop-off

Directory

• Encourage retailers to post signage

• Encourage your peers to join WRAP

Sign up as a WRAP

Champion by July

30th and receive a

starter Toolkit!

Something Special for You!

Film packaging needs effective end-of-life

options

WRAP can grow recycling & divert plastic film

from MRFs

Success depends on state/municipal involvement

Together We Can Double Film Recycling!

Help Your Community & Get on the WRAP Map!

WRAP Champions/Partners are recognized in Re-TRAC and

plasticfilmrecycling.org

Shari Jackson Director, Film Recycling

American Chemistry Council

(202) 249-6616

[email protected]

Questions?